Use of AI in preparing court documents

At its annual strategy meeting in January 2025, the Civil Justice Council (CJC) agreed to set up a working group examining the use of AI by legal representatives for preparing court documents.

Working Group Membership

Lord Justice Birss – Deputy Head of Civil Justice (Chair)
Mrs Justice Joanna Smith – High Court Judge (Deputy Chair)
Dan Hoadley – CJC Member (Digital Technology and Information)
Professor Sue Prince – CJC Member (Lay Representative)
John Cuss – CJC Member (Solicitor)
Dr John Sorabji – CJC Member (Barrister)
Representative from the Bar Council (TBC)
Representative from the Law Society (TBC)

Terms of Reference

The CJC’s statutory functions include (a) keeping the civil justice system under review, and (b) considering how to make the civil justice system more accessible, fair, and efficient.

The Working Group’s terms of reference, as approved by the CJC’s Executive Committee, are laid out below.

The Working Group will produce a consultation paper, followed by a final report, seeking to address the question of whether rules are needed to govern the use of AI by legal representatives for the preparation of court documents, including pleadings, witness statements, and expert reports.